New implantable device to save diabetics from dangerously low blood sugar

New Delhi, July 9 (IANS) A team of US researchers has developed a novel implantable device that can save people with Type 1 diabetes from developing hypoglycaemia, or low blood sugar, which can be life-threatening.

When glucose levels become extremely low, it creates a life-threatening situation for which the standard treatment of care is injecting a hormone called glucagon.

The new implant, developed by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, carries a reservoir of glucagon that can be stored under the skin and deployed during an emergency -- with no need for injections.

The device, which is about the size of a quarter, contains a small drug reservoir made of a 3D-printed polymer. It can be triggered either by the person using it or automatically by a sensor.

The approach could also help in cases where hypoglycaemia occurs during sleep, or for diabetic children who are unable to administer injections on their own.

“This is a small, emergency-event device that can be placed under the skin, where it is ready to act if the patient’s blood sugar drops too low,” said Daniel Anderson, a professor in MIT’s Department of Chemical Engineering.

“Our goal was to build a device that is always ready to protect patients from low blood sugar. We think this can also help relieve the fear of hypoglycaemia that many patients, and their parents, suffer from,” he added.

The device can receive wireless signals, and the drug release is triggered by a glucose monitor when the wearer’s blood sugar drops below a certain level.

After implanting the device in diabetic mice, the researchers used it to trigger glucagon release as the animals’ blood sugar levels were dropping. Within less than 10 minutes of activating the drug release, blood sugar levels began to level off, allowing them to remain within the normal range and avert hypoglycemia.

Beyond Type 1 diabetes, the researchers have shown that the device also has the potential to deliver emergency doses of epinephrine -- a drug that is used to treat heart attacks and can also prevent severe allergic reactions, including anaphylactic shock.

--IANS

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